Exhibit: 'Age of Nixon' went beyond presidency

A magazine cover with former President Richard Nixon is displayed along with book covers featuring the Yorba Linda native in a new exhibit, "Richard Nixon Centennial," exploring the life of Richard Nixon before and after his presidency. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

The legacy of Richard Nixon is more than Watergate – that's the message the curators of a new exhibit at the Nixon Presidential Library & Museum hope to send to visitors.

The Richard Nixon Foundation and the National Archives and Records Administration have collaborated on the exhibit to celebrate what would have been Nixon's 100th birthday, on Jan. 9, and to show the breadth of the late president's life.

"I think the second half of the 20th century can justifiably be called the Age of Nixon," said Bob Bostock, co-curator and author of the Centennial Exhibit.

This exhibit will be open at least for the remainder of this year.

It is different from the library's permanent collection because it includes a large section on Nixon's post-presidency life. Bostock explained that when the library was built, there weren't plans for how to showcase the massive amount of writing and traveling Nixon did after office and before his 1994 death.

Nixon used his time after the presidency to write 10 books. The covers of each have been blown up and hung in the exhibit.

"Some presidents have used their post-presidency to make a lot of money, but Nixon used his post-presidency to make a difference," Bostock said.

Bostock, a freelance speechwriter from Lawrenceville, N.J., and Frank Gannon, a writer from Washington, D.C., teamed up to plan, write and request artifacts for the exhibit.

Both worked for Nixon at different times. Gannon served as a White House Fellow during Nixon's administration; Bostock worked as a fact checker on "In the Arena" and as a research assistant for "Beyond Peace," two Nixon books.

"This is a labor of love, because to have worked with him is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a lucky few," Bostock said.

The Richard Nixon Foundation funded the cost of building the exhibit, and the National Archives staff has helped assemble the collection of documents and artifacts used in it.

Bostock said that, in some ways, recreating the memory of Nixon is easier than for other presidents because millions of pages from his administration have been archived, and his family was particularly good at saving his writings from school.

"No presidency has ever been so documented, and because of Nixon, will probably never be as documented," Bostock said.

To make the collection a success, Bostock said it needed to remind people about the context of the time Nixon came into office, which included race riots, antiwar protests and widespread drug use.

Exhibit artifacts

Gridiron bench: Richard Nixon played football while attending Whittier College but admitted to never being very good despite his love of sports. After he was elected president, his teammates presented him with a piece of the team’s bench, in tongue-in-cheek fashion, because he spent more time on the bench than on the field.

Pomona podium: A podium owned by the Pomona Board of Education used by Nixon when he first ran for Congress for in 1946, and signed when he returned to the area to speak as a presidential candidate.

Inauguration Day stuff: The suit that Nixon wore on his first inauguration, and a flag that was flown over the Capitol that day.

Old glory: A flag handmade by Col. John Dramsei while captive in a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp during the Vietnam War. Dramsei handed it to Nixon during a dinner held for former American prisoners of wars at a dinner in 1973 that remains the largest dinner ever held at the White House.

First and last desk: The desk that Nixon and his father Francis Nixon built for his first law office in La Habra.

Related Links

A magazine cover with former President Richard Nixon is displayed along with book covers featuring the Yorba Linda native in a new exhibit, "Richard Nixon Centennial," exploring the life of Richard Nixon before and after his presidency. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A statue in the middle of the exhibit shows President Richard Nixon meeting with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1972, an important moment in his lifetime, which was an effort to improve relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China. Nixon's visit to China was the first time a president had ever visited the nation, and was an unexpected first step to discussions that involved the Soviet Union. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Richard Nixon's Navy uniform is displayed at centennial exhibit. Nixon began service in the Navy in 1942 and stayed until he was discharged in 1946. A history of Nixon's military activity complete with photographs accompanies the exhibit that discusses his life before presidency. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A spotlight shines on the exhibit floor with the slogan from Richard Nixon's first campaign for presidency: "Nixon's The One!" It was one of many slogans that Richard Nixon used strategically during his presidential campaign. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
An exhibit wall at the Nixon Presidential Library & Museum depicts the life of Richard Nixon, who was born and spent his early years in Yorba Linda and helped with his family's Nixon Market during college. In the new Richard Nixon centennial exhibit, visitors will be able to see the progression of Richard Nixon's early life from Whittier College student to U.S. president. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
An exhibit wall at the Nixon Presidential Library & Museum depicts photographs of Richard Nixon, who was born and spent his early years in Yorba Linda. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
An exhibit wall of the Nixon centennial exhibit shows the process of Richard Nixon's 1972 presidential campaign for re-election. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The new exhibit at the Nixon Presidential Library & Museum explores Richard Nixon's accomplishments as a writer after serving as president of the United States. His books explored various political topics including financial hardship, the Cold War and his approach towards peace during his presidency. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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